Bicycle frame with reinforced motor mount

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a bicycle comprising a motor mounted to a motor mount of the bicycle frame. The motor mount includes a down tube mount coupled to a down tube, a chainstay mount coupled to a chainstay, and a side brace secured to the down tube mount and wrapping around one side of the motor to the chainstay mount. Preferably, when viewed from the side, the side brace extends directly from the down tube mount to the chainstay mount. Preferably, the motor mount further comprises a lower support secured to the down tube mount and wrapped around a bottom of the motor to the chainstay mount. The motor mount can further include an upper support connecting the seat tube mount to the down tube mount. This upper support can include an upper flange secured to the motor.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to bicycle frames and specifically to abicycle frame that is adapted to support an electric motor.

It is known to provide a bicycle with an electric motor and battery inorder to supplement the pedaling power provided by the user. Suchelectric motors can be secured to or incorporated into the bicycle frameor wheel hubs.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a bicycle comprising a front wheel and arear wheel cooperatively defining a central plane and forward andrearward directions, a front fork supported by the front wheel, and aframe supported by the front fork and the rear wheel. The frame includesa head tube rotationally coupled to the front fork, a down tubeextending downward and rearward from the head tube, a motor mountcoupled to and extending from the down tube, and a chainstay coupledbetween the motor mount and the rear wheel. A motor is mounted to themotor mount. The motor mount includes a down tube mount coupled to thedown tube, a chainstay mount (e.g., a pivot mount) coupled to thechainstay, and a side brace secured to the down tube mount and wrappingaround one side of the motor to the chainstay mount. A side of the motormount opposite the side brace includes an opening large enough tofacilitate insertion and removal of the motor. Preferably, when viewedfrom the side, the side brace extends directly from the down tube mountto the pivot mount.

Preferably, the motor mount further comprises a lower support secured tothe down tube mount and wrapped around a bottom of the motor to thechainstay mount. For example, the lower support can be substantiallyaligned with the central plane. In one embodiment, the lower supportcomprises a lower flange secured to the motor.

The frame can further include a seat tube, and the motor mount canfurther include a seat tube mount coupled to the seat tube. Preferably,the motor mount further includes an upper support connecting the seattube mount to the down tube mount. This upper support can include anupper flange secured to the motor. The motor mount can further include arear support connecting the seat tube mount to the chainstay mount.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration ofthe detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bicycle incorporating features of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bicycle frame assembly of the bicycleshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of the bicycle frame assembly ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a lower portion of a frame ofthe bicycle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of a lower portion of the frame of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a section view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the battery in a partially-attachedposition.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the battery in a fully-attachedposition.

FIG. 9 is a section view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7 showing thelower battery mount engaged with the lower frame mount with the batteryin the partially-attached position of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a section view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8 with thebattery in the fully-attached position of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper frame mount prior toinstallation of the battery.

FIG. 12 is the perspective view of FIG. 11 with the battery in thefully-attached position of FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a battery control panel on the battery.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of a battery connector on thebattery.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of a speed sensor.

FIG. 16 is an exploded view of a right motor cover with an integratedcable channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a bicycle 20 embodying the present invention. Theillustrated bicycle 20 includes a front wheel 22 and a rear wheel 24that cooperatively define a central plane 26 and forward and rearwarddirections. A front fork 28 is supported by the front wheel 22, and aframe 30 is supported by the front fork 28 and the rear wheel 24. Theillustrated frame 30 includes a head tube 32 rotationally coupled to thefront fork 28, a down tube 34 extending downward and rearward from thehead tube 32, a top tube 36 extending rearward from the head tube 32, aseat tube 38 extending downward from the top tube 36, and a motor mount40 connecting the down tube 34 and the seat tube 38. The frame 30further comprises a rear suspension assembly 42 including chainstays 44,rear wheel mounts 46, seat stays 48, and a rear shock 50, the functionsof which are well known in the art.

The illustrated bicycle 20 further includes an electric motor 52 adaptedto provide power to the bicycle 20. The illustrated electric motor 52includes three mounting studs 54 for securing the electric motor 52 tothe frame 30 via mounting nuts 55. The electric motor 52 furtherincludes a drive shaft 56 connected to left and right cranks 58 that areadapted to receive corresponding pedals 59 that facilitate pedaling ofthe bicycle 20 by a user. Power is provided to the electric motor 52 viaa battery 60 mounted within a tube recess 62 in the down tube 34, asexplained below in more detail.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the motor mount 40 includes a down tube mount 64coupled to the down tube 34, a seat tube mount 66 coupled to the seattube 38, and a chainstay mount 68 coupled to the chainstays 44. Theillustrated down tube mount 64 and seat tube mount 66 are welded to thedown tube 34 and seat tube 38, respectively, but any suitable connection(e.g., bonding, fastening, or unitary construction) will suffice. Theillustrated chainstay mount 68 comprises a pivot mount 70 for pivotallyconnecting the motor mount 40 to the chainstays 44 using a pivot shaft72.

The motor mount 40 further includes a side brace 74 connecting the downtube mount 64 to the chainstay mount 68 along the left side of theelectric motor 52. As best shown in FIGS. 3-4, the side brace 74 ispositioned to structurally and visually extend from the down tube 34directly toward the chainstay mount 68. As shown in FIG. 5, the rightside of the motor mount 40 does not include a side brace 74 and iscompletely open to facilitate insertion and removal of the electricmotor 52 from the motor mount 40.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the motor mount 40 further includes an uppersupport 76 connecting the down tube mount 64 with the seat tube mount66, a rear support 78 connecting the seat tube mount 66 with thechainstay mount 68, and a lower support 80 connecting the down tubemount 64 with the chainstay mount 68. As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and6, the upper support 76 includes an upper flange 82 aligned with thecentral plane 26 and including a flange opening 84 adapted to receiveone of the mounting studs 54 in order to facilitate attachment of theelectric motor 52 to the motor mount 40 by the mounting nuts 55.Similarly, the lower support 80 includes a lower flange 85 aligned withthe central plane 26 and including two flange openings 84 adapted toreceive two of the mounting studs 54 in order to facilitate attachmentof the electric motor 52 to the motor mount 40. As explained above andillustrated in the drawings, the combination of the down tube mount 64,the upper support 76 the seat tube mount 66, the rear support 78, thechainstay mount 68, and the lower support 80 provides complete enclosureof the electric motor 52 along the central plane 26 of the bicycle 20.This arrangement provides structural integrity to the bicycle frame 30and also helps to protect the electric motor 52 from damage that couldbe caused by impact of the bicycle 20 with other objects (e.g., rocks orlogs). This arrangement also utilizes the electric motor 52 as astressed member to further improve the strength and rigidity of thebicycle frame 30.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 and further explained above, the structuralarrangement of the motor mount 40 results in an upper left opening 86, alower left opening 88, and a right opening 90. These openings are fittedwith an upper left cover 92, a lower left cover 94 and a right cover 96,respectively. Each of the upper support 76, lower support 80, and rearsupport 78 includes threaded openings 98 for receiving threadedfasteners 100 that attach the covers to the motor mount 40. The coversprotect the electric motor 52 from damage and debris infiltrating theelectric motor 52.

Referring to FIG. 3, the illustrated battery 60 includes an upperbattery mount 102 and a lower battery mount 104 that facilitatessecuring the battery 60 to the bicycle frame 30 at an upper frame mount106 and a lower frame mount 108, respectively. When attaching thebattery 60 to the frame 30, the lower battery mount 104 is first engagedwith the lower frame mount 108 with the battery 60 in a partiallyattached position, as shown in FIG. 7. The battery 60 is then pivotedupwardly toward the frame 30 to a fully attached position, as shown inFIG. 8 and described below in more detail.

The lower battery mount 104 and lower frame mount 108 define a pivotinterface between the battery 60 and the frame 30. In the illustratedembodiment, the lower battery mount 104 comprises an eccentric boss 110adapted to engage the lower frame mount 108. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 9 and 10, the eccentric boss 110 comprises an elongated shafthaving a cam profile with a low point 112 defining a first boss width W1and a high point 114 defining a second boss width W2 larger than thefirst boss width. As the battery 60 is pivoted from the partiallyattached position of FIG. 7 to the fully attached position of FIG. 8,the cam profile of the eccentric boss 110 will be rotated with thebattery 60 to present different profiles of the eccentric boss 110 tothe lower frame mount 108, as described below in more detail.

The illustrated lower frame mount 108 defines a depression in the formof a slot 116 that is dimensioned to receive the eccentric boss 110.With specific reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the slot 116 has a width thatis dimensioned to easily receive the first boss width W1 of theeccentric boss 110. This is the orientation of the eccentric boss 110that will be presented to the lower frame mount 108 when the battery 60is in the partially attached position of FIGS. 7 and 9. As the battery60 is rotated to the fully attached position, the cam profile of theeccentric boss 110 is rotated such that the second boss width W2 of theeccentric boss 110 is presented to the slot 116 of the lower frame mount108, thereby wedging the eccentric boss 110 in the lower frame mount108, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10. In order to facilitate thisinterference fit, the lower frame mount 108 is resilient (e.g., madefrom a resilient material such as polyurethane or resiliently mounted,such as spring-biased). By virtue of this arrangement, the lower batterymount 104 will be held securely to the lower frame mount 108 withreduced likelihood of any rattling occurring due to shocks orvibrations. In addition, the resilient slot 116 configuration of thelower frame mount 108 will inherently accommodate slight differences inbattery 60 lengths. It should be understood that the positions of theeccentric boss 110 and depression could be reversed (i.e., thedepression could be positioned on the battery 60 and the eccentric boss110 could be positioned on the frame 30). In addition, the eccentricboss 110 could be made of a resilient material instead of or in additionto the lower frame mount 108.

As best seen in FIGS. 7-8 and 11-12, the upper battery mount 102comprises a battery hole 118 extending all the way through the battery60, and the upper frame mount 106 includes tube holes 120 through theleft and right walls of the down tube 34 adjacent an upper end of thetube recess 62. With the battery 60 in the fully attached position ofFIG. 8, the battery hole 118 of the upper battery mount 102 will bealigned with the tube holes 120 of the upper frame mount 106, and abattery mounting pin 122 can be inserted through the aligned tube holes120 and battery hole 118 to secure the battery 60 in the fully attachedposition. In the illustrated embodiment, one of the tube holes 120 isthreaded and an end of the battery mounting pin 122 is similarlythreaded to secure the mounting pin in place.

With specific reference to FIGS. 3, 7 and 8, the illustrated bicycle 20further includes a rock guard 124 secured to and removable from a lowerend of the battery 60. The rock guard 124 includes a forked end 126adapted to fit on opposing sides of the lower battery mount 104. In theillustrated embodiment, the forked end 126 of the rock guard 124 issecured to the battery 60 by the same battery fastener 128 that securesthe eccentric boss 110 to the battery 60, as best shown in FIG. 3. Therock guard 124 further includes two threaded openings (not shown) facingthe battery 60 and adapted to receive fasteners (not shown) that can beinserted through holes in the battery 60 and threaded into the threadedopenings 98 in the rock guard 124 to further secure the rock guard 124to the battery 30. By virtue of this arrangement, the rock guard 124provides protection to the lower end of the battery 60 and can be easilyreplaced if damaged.

The battery 60 further includes a battery control panel 130 thatfacilitates control of the operation of the battery 60, best seen inFIG. 13. Specifically, the battery control panel 130 includes a powerbutton 132, a plus button 134 and a minus button 136. These buttons canbe used to power the battery 60 on and off and also to select differentmodes of the battery 60. The battery control panel 130 further includesa series of perimeter lights 138 that indicate the battery charge.

Referring to FIG. 14, the battery 60 further includes a batteryconnector 140 on the left side of the battery 60 near the lower batterymount 104. The illustrated battery connector 140 can be used both tocharge the battery 60 (e.g., with an appropriate charger, not shown) andalso to provide connection to the electric motor 52 via a motorconnector 142 wired to the electric motor 52. The illustrated motorconnector 142 includes an overmolded housing 144 that fits into and isflush with the surrounding surfaces.

The illustrated bicycle 20 further includes a speed sensor 146 securedto an inner face 148 of the left rear wheel 24 support, as illustratedin FIG. 15. The speed sensor senses the rotation of the rear wheel 24,and this information can be used to calculate the speed of the bicycle20. By virtue of this positioning, the speed sensor 146 is protectedfrom damage and is further not visible from the left side of the bicycle20, thus improving aesthetics of the bicycle 20.

Referring to FIG. 16, the inside surface of the right cover 96 includesan integral cable channel 150 that facilities routing of a cable throughthe motor mount 40. More specifically, with the right cover 96 securedto the motor mount 40, the cable channel 150 will be positioned againstthe electric motor 52, thereby creating a substantially enclosedpassageway. With this substantially enclosed passage way, a cable orhousing can be inserted into the passage way from the down tube 34 (seearrows in FIG. 16) and pushed until it exits adjacent the chainstaymount. This arrangement avoids the need to remove the right cover 96when threading a new cable or housing through the motor mount 40.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in thefollowing claims.

1. A bicycle comprising: a front wheel and a rear wheel cooperativelydefining a central plane and forward and rearward directions; a frontfork supported by the front wheel; a frame supported by the front forkand the rear wheel, the frame including: a head tube rotationallycoupled to the front fork; a down tube extending downward and rearwardfrom the head tube; a motor mount coupled to and extending from the downtube; and a chainstay coupled between the motor mount and the rearwheel; and a motor mounted to the motor mount, wherein the motor mountincludes: a down tube mount coupled to the down tube; a chainstay mountcoupled to the chainstay; and a side brace secured to the down tubemount and wrapping around one side of the motor to the chainstay mount,wherein a side of the motor mount opposite the side brace includes anopening sized to receive the motor in a lateral direction relative tothe central plane.
 2. A bicycle as set forth in claim 1, wherein thechainstay mount comprises a pivot mount pivotally coupled to thechainstay.
 3. A bicycle as set forth in claim 2, wherein, as viewed fromthe side, the side brace extends directly from the down tube mount tothe pivot mount.
 4. A bicycle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the motormount further comprises a lower support secured to the down tube mountand wrapped around a bottom of the motor to the chainstay mount.
 5. Abicycle as set forth in claim 4, wherein the lower support issubstantially aligned with the central plane.
 6. A bicycle as set forthin claim 5, wherein the lower support comprises a lower flange securedto the motor.
 7. A bicycle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the framefurther includes a seat tube and wherein the motor mount furtherincludes a seat tube mount coupled to the seat tube.
 8. A bicycle as setforth in claim 7, wherein the motor mount further includes an uppersupport connecting the seat tube mount to the down tube mount.
 9. Abicycle as set forth in claim 8, wherein the upper support includes anupper flange secured to the motor.
 10. A bicycle as set forth in claim7, wherein the motor mount further includes a rear support connectingthe seat tube mount to the chainstay mount.
 11. A bicycle comprising: afront wheel and a rear wheel cooperatively defining a central plane andforward and rearward directions; a front fork supported by the frontwheel; a frame supported by the front fork and the rear wheel, the frameincluding: a head tube rotationally coupled to the front fork; a downtube extending downward and rearward from the head tube; a motor mountcoupled to and extending from the down tube; and a chainstay coupledbetween the motor mount and the rear wheel; and a motor mounted to themotor mount, wherein the motor mount includes: a down tube mount coupledto the down tube; a chainstay mount coupled to the chainstay; and alower support secured to the down tube mount and wrapping around abottom of the motor to the chainstay mount.
 12. A bicycle as set forthin claim 11, wherein the lower support is substantially aligned with thecentral plane.
 13. A bicycle as set forth in claim 12, wherein the lowersupport comprises a lower flange secured to the motor.
 14. A bicycle asset forth in claim 13, wherein the frame further includes a seat tubeand wherein the motor mount further includes a seat tube mount coupledto the seat tube and an upper support connecting the seat tube mount tothe down tube mount.
 15. A bicycle as set forth in claim 14, wherein theupper support includes an upper flange secured to the motor.
 16. Abicycle as set forth in claim 15, wherein the motor mount furtherincludes a rear support connecting the seat tube mount to the chainstaymount.